Don Williams, a 61-year-old Black man, died in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 17, 2016, after a night that began as a gathering inside a Lower Ninth Ward home and ended in gunfire.
Shortly after 3:30 a.m., New Orleans police were called to a residence in the 1300 block of Deslonde Street on a report of a shooting. Inside, officers found Williams suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and face. He was rushed to a hospital, but he did not survive.
Investigators said Williams and another guest, Lloyd Henry, had been at the same gathering the night before. As the night wore on, a verbal dispute flared between the two men. Detectives reported that Henry then retrieved a firearm and shot Williams multiple times, turning a tense argument into a fatal moment that unfolded in close quarters among other partygoers.
Police moved quickly that morning. The New Orleans Police Department announced Henry’s arrest later on November 17, describing him as being taken into custody as the investigation continued. Henry was booked on a second-degree murder charge and was expected to be transferred into the custody of the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff’s Office.
